| West Bengal is bounded on the north
by Bhutan and the state of Sikkim , on the east
by Bangladesh and the state of Assam , on the south
by the Bay of Bengal, on the southwest by the state
of Orissa & Jharkhand, on the northwest by Nepal
and the state of Bihar and on the south by Bay of
Bengal. Its capital, Kolkata is one of the largest
and most developed cities in India. The vast majority
of the people in West Bengal are the Bengalis. The
other communities in the state are Sherpas, Gorkhas
and Paharis, residing in the hilly regions of West
Bengal.
The mysterious land of West Bengal has many reasons
to attract the tourists. The land of rich culture
and heritage has a unique feature: it is the only
state in India, which has historical sites, forests,
beaches, snow-capped mountain ranges and rare
wildlife. The state has an unmatched rich cultural
treasure. Earlier known as Vanga, history of West
Bengal dates back to the times of Gupta dynasty.
The state has seen rise and falls of many dynasties
and rulers. Bengal came under Islamic rule starting
in the 13th century, and developed into a wealthy
centre of trade and industry under the Mughal
Empire during the 16th century. European traders
had arrived in the late 15th century and eventually
the British East India Company controlled the
region by the late 18th century, from which the
British extended their rule over all of India
and Kolkata (Calcutta) became the capital of British
ruled India.
The home of five Nobel prize winners, West Bengal
has produced numerous well known personalities
in the history of India. The world famous film
director Satyajit Ray ("Lifetime Achievement"
Academy Award winner) was also born here. The
birthplace of Rabindra Nath Tagore, West Bengal
gave birth to innumerable well known poets and
writers who enriched the world literature ceaselessly.
The state is home to Sunderbans, a heritage site,
which shelters the rare Royal Bengal Tigers. A
travel through this state takes one on a ride
to varied cultures, languages and landscapes.
Hooghly and its tributaries- Mayurakshi, Damodar,
Kangsabati and the Rupnarayan, enrich the soils
of Bengal. Kolkata is amongst the largest metropolitan
cities of world. Some of the sites worth seeing
in the state are Victoria Memorial, Indian Museum,
Birla Planeterium, Hazariduar, Howrah Bridge,
Sunderbans, Shantiniketan, Mirik and Kalimpong.
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